The County Cricket Podcast · thecountycricketpodcast

2025 County Championship Mid-Season Review Show

·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

Adam Hose scored 266 from 253 balls while Jake Libby made 228 from 438 deliveries.

Aaron and Matt open the show in a fairly plain county-chat groove. They lead with the headline from Round 9: the most first innings runs ever seen in a round of the County Championship, a week packed with centuries and, as usual, plenty of Kookaburra-ball debate in the background. Batting came first. Bowling did have its moments, but the conversation keeps drifting back to how odd it was to see so many sides cash in across the country, and that gives the whole episode its shape. Somerset get a lot of airtime. The panel works through their latest match, Tom Colacadmore's 147 in the second innings, Tom Banton's 84, and Tom Abel's 64 from 166, with the result treated as fair enough for both sides. The top order never settles. Dan Kingdom's stat about 28 opening partnerships since Marcus Trescothick retired becomes a neat way to talk about Somerset's constant churn, the new names that have filled the role, and the way the county keeps finding fresh combinations without making it feel stale. Matt Henry gets a mention too. That part of the discussion is less about one player than the wider shape of Somerset's campaign, where the points table matters, the performances matter, and the side keeps hanging close enough to stay in the picture. Surrey are in the frame. Somerset sit one point behind them, still in the top four, and the tone is patient rather than alarmed, with the panel reading a side that may be setting things up for a late season run instead of peaking too early. The result matters, but not in a simple way. The hosts keep checking whether the draw or outcome leaves both teams happy, and the answer sits in that very county-cricket place where a fair result can still tell you plenty about current form. The closing stretch moves away from the Championship. T20 group-stage cricket is now the immediate focus, but the show makes clear that the red-ball competition is only on pause, because it comes back in less than three weeks. Kent are still on 89 points. The episode ends with that familiar sense that more is coming when the Championship returns, which keeps the whole thing feeling like a live season diary rather than a one-off roundup. It stays grounded throughout. Anyone following county form, Somerset's place in the table, or the shape of the Championship after a run-heavy round will get the most from it.

As heard by us

A scorecard-led look at a record batting week, Somerset's latest result, and the shape of the title race.

This Round 9 review keeps its footing in the numbers from a run-heavy County Championship week, when the most first-innings runs ever seen in a round and the Kookaburra ball set the tone.

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Why you'd press play

You want a county-cricket roundup built on a record batting week, not hot-take filler.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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